KRUG Tasting and Wine Dinner 7/29 Thursday

NAPA & CO
75 Broad St, Stamford, CT 06901 203-353-3319
Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Guest Speaker:Margareth Henriquez, President of KRUG

6:00 pm “Meet & Greet” Tasting of KRUG Grande Cuvee and Hors d’ oeuvres $30pp

7:00 pm Dinner: 5 course menu $150pp includes prior tasting

Tax and gratuity additional

Some people never get to try Champagne in their lives and they miss out on a very special treat. Some people never get to try KRUG in their lives and they miss out on a life changing moment! This evening is a chance to try over $1800 in Champagne, talk to the prestigious, Margareth Henriquez, and a wine and food pairing to leave you breathless.

**Space extrememly limited. To make reservations please call 203-353-3319

MENU

“MEET & GREET”
MINI TUNA TARTAR CONES
TOMATO GAZPACHO, WILD DUNGENESS CRAB
FOIE GRAS LOLLIPOPS WITH PISTACIOS AND JAM
BLINI WITH CAVIAR AND CREME FRAICHE

PAIRED WITH KRUG CHAMPAGNE GRANDE CUVEE: RETAIL $195.99

DINNER…

House Pappardelle
Summer morels
PAIRED WITH KRUG CHAMPAGNE "CLOS DU MESNIL" 1998: RETAIL $849.99

Pan Roasted Halibut
Creamed corn, black truffle butter
PAIRED WITH KRUG CHAMPAGNE VINTAGE 1998: RETAIL $279.99

Long Island Duck Breast
Anson Mills black rice, Bloomsdale spinach, rhubarb, Sicilian pistachios
PAIRED WITH KRUG CHAMPAGNE ROSE: RETAIL $391.99


Artisan Cheese with SoNo Bakery baguette
Toma Primavera, (R) Cow, NJ Smooth and creamy, based on a Belgian recipe
Gore-dawn-zola, (R) Cow, VT, Sharp, crumbly, creamy, slightly salty finish
Explorateur, Cow, France Camembert style, tangy w/ truffle, stinky
PAIRED WITH KRUG CHAMPAGNE GRANDE CUVEE :RETAIL $195.99

Almond PannaCotta
PAIRED WITH KRUG CHAMPAGNE GRANDE CUVEE :RETAIL $195.99

EXECUTIVE CHEF: ARIK BENSIMON

ALL WINES ARE AVAILABLE AT BEV MAX AND SPECIAL PRICING THE NIGHT OF THE DINNER.
835 MAIN STREET, STAMFORD, CT 203-357-9151 WWW.BEVMAX.COM

A little Q and A with Chef Arik

“It's Napa & Co. that's been singlehandedly holding the fine-food fort here for several years. A recent visit found the pretty, wine-themed bastion of excellent cuisine still firmly rooted in the game, thanks to sparkly young chef Arik Bensimon. He sources locally wherever possible and pairs his dishes brilliantly with the exhaustive wine options offered at the restaurant. Pursuers of culinary excellence take note: It's time to hit Stamford for some serious and inspired food.” June 2009

We can list a litany of restaurants and chef's that Arik has learned, matured, inspired and developed his culinary talents from but we thoughht it would be more interesting to get a peak into the person not just a resume...

Q. Secret ingredient you use as a go to:
A. Fresh lemon juice, because it brightens things up

Q. Restaurant you're dying to try:
A. Pierre gagnaire in Paris, Ever since I have learned about him I have always wanted to eat there, I really admire him for being so humble and able to the risks he does with ingredients.

Q. Chef you admire:
A. I really admire Thomas Keller for his perfectionism, and being a “modern Chef” as he says

Q. When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
A. I decided I wanted to be a professional chef at around thirteen years old
Was working at a restaurant in manhattan at age thirteen it was owned by my aunt an uncle I used to open up alone at six oclock every morning ,it really taught me about responsibility at a young age.

Q. Favorite kitchen gadget:
A. Vita prep blender, it’s a workhorse in my kitchen

Q. Best memory with food...
A. My memories of food are always very present but my fonderst memories are when my grand father used to fry whole sardines and serve them with harissa

Q. How do you work on your feet for so long:
A. currently wear clogs, once broken in they are so so comfortable

Q. Pet peeve:
A. lazy people, and fingerprints on plates

Q. Hangover food: greasy hamburger with pickles

Q. Culinary school: Culinary Institute of America

Q. How do you drink coffee or tea? a lot of coffee with milk and sugar and once in a while green tea

Q. WIne or Beer? I preffer wine but theres nothing like a cold Stella

Q. Favorite Pizza? Colony, love thin crust

Q. Great underestimated restaurant city? Atlanta

Germany Wines 101

German Wines:

German wine is primarily produced in the southwest of Germany, along river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Roman era. Approximately 60 percent of the German wine production is situated in the Rhineland, where 6 of the 13 regions (Anbaugebiete) for quality wine are situated. Germany has about 252,000 acres of vineyard, which is around one tenth of the vineyard surface in Spain, France or Italy. The total wine production is usually around 1.2 billion bottles, which places Germany as the eighth largest wine-producing country in the world.White wine accounts for almost two thirds of the total production.

As a wine country, Germany is considered one of the world's most elegant and aromatically pure white wines. Among enthusiasts, Germany's reputation is primarily based on wines made from the Riesling grape variety, which at its best is used for aromatic, fruity and elegant white wines that range from very crisp and dry to well-balanced, sweet and of enormous aromatic concentration. While primarily a white wine country, red wine production surged in the 1990s and early 2000s, primarily fueled by U.S. demand, and the proportion of the German vineyards devoted to the Spätburgunder, the domestic name for Pinot Noir, is in the lead.

JOin our wine class on Monday 6/14 at 6:30 and taste through styles of Riesling such as Spatlese, Kabinette and Auslese ans well as Rose of Pinot Noit and Dornfelder from the Pfalz. .
Dornfelder is a dark-skinned variety of grape of German origin used for red wine.
It was created by August Herold (1902-1973) at the grape breeding institute in Weinsberg in the Württemberg region in 1955. Herold crossed the grape varieties Helfensteiner and Heroldrebe, the latter which bears his name, to create Dornfelder. Helfensteiner (Frühburgunder × Trollinger) and Heroldrebe (Blauer Portugieser × Lemberger) were both crosses created some decades earlier by Herold. Sound confusing? Don't worry---it all clears up when you taste them!
203-353-3319 to sign up!

JUNE WINE & FOOD EVENTS @ NAPA

JUNE

THIS LITTLE PIGGIE LIKES ROSE'!
Wednesday, June 9th Try our 4 course wine and food pairing showcasing the 2009 release of this year’s great rose paired around slow roasted pig. Oink, Oink! $55 pp

WINE CLASS: A TASTE OF GERMANY!
Monday, June 14th 6:30 pm
Whites and Reds: learn about the old world style of German wines and what to pair with $30pp

FATHER’S DAY BRUNCH,
Sunday, June 20th, 11:30 am until 3:00 pm
Offering a 3 course prix-fix at $40 as well as our regular brunch menu. Think scotch, beer & burgers!

THE “GRAPE DEPRESSION”
Monday, June 28th 6:30 pm
Taste 10 wines under $10 retail and find some values for your picnic basket this summer. $30pp

Rose season is here!

WE LOVE ROSE!!
We tasted through 30 different Rose in the past month with great anticipation of the sumkmer release. First, southern France still rules when it comes to pink wine. Not that there aren't good rosés from other places, but the Languedoc, Provence, Saumur, etc. always seem to come out tops whenever I do a survey tasting like this. Two, when rosé is bad, it's really depressing. There's nothing worse than a cheerful, fun wine that's actively unpleasant (for instance, odors of canned corn or flavors recalling watermelon Jolly Ranchers). Three, there is no such thing as vintage Rose. If it's niot current---do not buy it!

What I suggest you do with rosé, rather than analyze it deeply, is just simply enjoy it on that hot & humis day with Burgers, BBQ, Pizza or salads. And if you want to open up a bottle of rosé while you cook, well, go right ahead. I guarantee that the kitchen gods will not smite you in anger.

So, with that in mind, here are just a few we have on the menu this evening"

Quo, Rose of Grenache, Campo de Borja, Spain 2009
La Croix du Prieur, Rose of Consault-Grenache Provence, France 2009
Bastianch, Rose of Sangiovese, Tuscany, Italy 2009
Kreos, Rose of Negromaro, Salento, Italy 2009
Vidal Fleury, Rose of Syrah, Cotes du Rhone 2009
Remy Pannier, Rose of Cabernet Franc, Anjou, Loire Vally 2009
Hecht & Bannier, Rose of Syrah-Cinsault, Languedoc, France 2009
Castello di Ama, Rose of Sangiovese, Tuscany, Italy 2009

Meet the most powerful woman in Napa this Monday for a free wine tasting!

Sneak out of work early this Monday!
Yes, there are other woman affiliated with Napa than myself!
Come have a wine chat with Eileen Crane this Monday from 4:30 to 6:30pm and learn why Forbe's Magazine calls her "the most powerful woman in Napa Valley." Eileen cemented her status at Domaine Carneros by Taittinger as its founding winemaker and president in 1987, where she has stood virtually alone as a woman in the male-dominated wine industry. More than 30 years later Crane is still hard at work making her signature sparkling wines--the "classic, Audrey Hepburn of wines," as she likes to say, such as their Cuvee de la Pompadour" Rose which we will be tasting along with their Brut 2006 sparkling and their Pinot Noir 2006.

So cut out of work early on Monday and taste some great wines paired with artisan cheeses. I know you'll love the wines but you'll also love the chance to learn from my talented and engaging friend, Eileen Crane. Oh, did I mention that it's FREE! See you Monday. No RSVP necessary. http://www.domainecarneros.com

One of the best wines I've had in awhile

Darioush "Caravan" estate, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA 2007,

I haven't had Darioush in quite some time and I was shocked at what a gem I've been missing. The Caravan shares the same pedigree of the other Darioush labels but displays more ripe fruit with a long lingering elegant finish. This wine is brimming with black fruit, anise and dense chocolate/coffee.

Robert Parker 90 pts,